


Downtime

by erobororo (orphan_account)



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: M/M, Shirazu focus, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, implied lewd later on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 16:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6574354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/erobororo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s only two things keeping him up: an absurdly loud clock ticking incessantly from some corner of the room, and the soothing rhythms of Tooru’s breaths mere inches from his face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Downtime

**Author's Note:**

> Reuploaded because I deleted my old account. Set right after the Torso/Serpent attack.

Sure, he could go to sleep at any time, but how will he know if Tooru’s alright? And really _really_ alright because sometimes he has a habit of downplaying his condition just so Shirazu—or anyone, for that matter—doesn’t worry. No, he’s gotta persevere, even if tomorrow’s drowsiness will earn him a scolding from Sassan or the dreaded Mado Punch he’s heard about. Still, it would be nice to maybe take just a quick nap… The house is so still and the room has only the light of the moon pouring into it—he should get a medal just for lasting this long despite all the things reminding him it’s been time to sleep.

But before he can be tempted into slumber, a slight hitch in Tooru’s breathing pushes him straight into alertness. He lifts his head from his folded arms atop the couch cushions and patiently rests his gaze to the shifting half-ghoul before him.

“Shirazu-kun..?” Tooru groans, weakly blinking in the other half-ghoul’s direction. He perks up immediately.

“Ah, Tooru! Yer awake.”

Tooru rubs one of his eyes before attempting to sit up, making it about halfway before changing his mind. “What…time is it?”

“‘Bout one o’clock. Oh, in the mornin,’ that is. Don’t worry, ya didn’t sleep fer two days.”

“Oh…” His face slowly twists in a way that Shirazu once nicknamed the Tooru’s Troubled look _._ “How long was I asleep for, then?”

“Pretty much the whole night. How ya feel?” He tries to keep it simple, especially after earlier’s…not-so-simple incident.

“Not as bad as before, but…everything aches. My body feels so heavy.”

“Well you were real light when I carried ya, keke.”

The troubled expression dissipates into sleepy confusion, with just a tinge of curiosity. “Carried?”

Shirazu takes a deep breath. “After the doc patched up some injuries ya conked right out and seemed pretty exhausted so I brought ya in, plopped ya down on the couch, and ya didn’t seem to wanna move anyway, and the first aid stuff’s down here so I just thought—”

Tooru holds up a hand as if attempting to calm the all-too-excited pup sitting on the floor. “It’s okay, Shirazu-kun. You’re so thoughtful. It’s very endearing.”

He fidgets in place and tilts his head. Jeez…Tooru can be real embarrassing sometimes. “M’just lookin’ out fer my teammate is all.”

“Well I feel much better, thank you.”

He offers a gentle smile and an even gentler pat on the head, hand trailing just a bit to give a quick scratch behind Shirazu’s ear, fingers twirling around long bristles of warm yellow in the process. He leans his head into the motions heavily, as if filled with weights, relying on Tooru’s hand to keep him in place. Oh no, this way he’ll _definitely_ fall asleep, but can he be blamed? He’s running through almost twenty-four hours without so much as a minute of sleep, which would be trying for anyone, half-ghoul or not; but throw Tooru in the mix, with his soft, skillful hands, somehow calming aura no matter the circumstances, and there’s no way he can be expected to last at the rate they’re both going.

Amidst heavenly pets he catches Tooru awkwardly adjusting his legs, and he comes out of his daze to offer more help.

“D’ya wanna move to yer bed? I bet that’d be comfier than a lousy couch.”

He retracts his hand—which was starting to cascade down Shirazu’s neck—and pick at loose shirt threads. “Ah, yeah, actually…if you—”

“Don’t mind at all!”

Shirazu straightens up with a puffed out chest, ready to save the day. He scrambles to his feet, crouching low enough to provide his wide shoulders for support, bending his elbows at Tooru’s side in preparation.

“Grab onto my shoulders,” he instructs a bit too excitedly, hushing down with a wide grin when he notices a glint of skepticism in the other squad member’s face. “Don’t worry, I gotcha. I carried ya here in the first place, didn’t I?”

“Well…true.”

Tooru returns the smile, carefully maneuvering towards Shirazu, who wraps firm arms around a frame much smaller than his own, much softer than his own, and lifts off his knees once equally small (and soft, what the heck…) arms latch onto his upper body. He brings Tooru into him as closely as possible, prompting them to tuck his head at the curve of his neck, peach fuzz instantly sticking on end at the sudden puffs of warm air washing over his skin, but he’s too sleepy and focused on making it to that bedroom to get self-conscious. Okay, maybe a little self-conscious, since his cheeks are already warming up from the contact.

With an affirming grunt and slight shake of the head he turns away from the living room space and toward the hallway, rounding a corner for the—oh yeah.

“Gotta go up the stairs… Think ya can handle a bumpy ride?”

More warmth spills across his neck in the form of airy laughter and _oh, that kinda tickles.._. “Yes, Shirazu-kun.”

He smiles lazily, eyes starting to droop, and makes his first cautious step up. Tiny hands grip tighter on his jumpsuit, so he eases into the next steps with the same pace, if not slower. Can’t move too fast, can’t make Tooru anymore uncomfortable… Feet can’t be too heavy, can’t wake up the others… Saiko and Urie had already gone to bed reassuring him he didn’t need to stay up all night, it’s not as bad as it seems, something like that. (Well, actually, it was more like Saiko giving him a few pats on the back after a passable frozen dinner and Urie mumbling his worn out stubborn way to his room after a few flaky words of advice.) He’s sure, though, that if Sassan weren’t spending the night at the CCG to…“recover,” he’d be the only other person awake to check on Tooru with him. Ahh, well…

After successfully making it to the second floor, he nudges the half-ghoul in his arms, putting his inside-voice training to the test. “Almost there, tough it out fer me just a lil’ bit longer, Tooru.”

In a hushed voice, so hushed anyone but Shirazu would never be able to hear it, Tooru replies playfully, “You got it, captain.”

Arriving at the bedroom, Shirazu pushes the door with his foot, shuffling inside and closing it in the same manner. He thanks the weak moonlight spilling onto the floor from the window for giving him a steady path to take over to the bed, helping him compensate for his shitty, definitely-not-as-good-as-Tooru’s vision. He bumps a toe (or all ten) into the bedframe, eliciting a muffled giggle from Tooru and a suppressed profanity from himself. He drops his hips, using his bent knees to keep his passenger in place as he quickly removes the covers with one hand, and dips them onto the mattress.

“So,” Shirazu pipes up while taking hold of Tooru’s arm and inspecting it, “how was my drivin’? Any dents, scratches…”

He waves him off with light laughter. “Perfectly fine.”

“That’s good!”

He drops to the ground on his butt with hands placed in his folded lap and rests his head on the sheets, back to square one in a different setting. With an upturned gaze he notes how close Tooru is (did he move closer while he wasn’t looking?), not flinching in the slightest when the same kind hand from before caresses his face and strokes his hair. Tooru returns the gaze with a smile that could melt any heart, even the baddies they have to chase every year, and he lets it soak up his entire view before giving in to his pleading heavy lids. He doesn’t want to fall asleep, not just yet, not when those fingers feel so _good_ and things still need to be said. Which he’ll get to soon, he swears, it’s just… _those fingers_ …

It’s when the light petting slows down that he decides to speak, worried Tooru (and he) might fall asleep before he gets a chance to express himself, even if he’s not confident in his own words. Feeling a boldness probably spurred on by the lack of sleep, he reaches a hand to cup Tooru’s, guiding it off his head and onto the mattress. Small, soft, warm…

“I’m real glad yer okay, Tooru,” he starts, smiling with closed eyes. “I mean, we all are, I just…I got scared, y’know? That Torso _bastard_ I woulda killed ‘im right there if it wasn’t for that Serpent guy. Those shitty jerks…I woulda killed ‘em both!”

Tooru squeezes his hand and he’s brought back down, furrowing his brow with a frown.

“I woulda…but I wasn’t strong enough.”

“That’s not true.”

He opens his eyes and once again fills his vision with sunshine incarnate.

“You’re plenty strong, Shirazu-kun. Not just in the way you fight or control your kagune, but in how you readily throw yourself in front of an attack just to save someone weak like me.”

Tooru's hand slacks in his.

“I couldn’t do that. I want to, but I can’t, I’m not as strong as you or anyone else on this team.”

“Now it’s my turn to say ‘that’s not true!’”

With a quick tightening of his grip he shoots up, leaning his entire upper body onto the bed and not realizing just how close he is to Tooru’s face.

“You went and got in that taxi with Torso _himself_ and I bet you messed ‘im up real good! None of us can say that, hell, I couldn’t even hit his car…and then my bike got wrecked…”

He pouts with a sideways glance and it must have some sort of effect on his teammate because he can hear a bit of laughter and the loose hand in his becomes firm again.

“Yeah, I was worried, real worried, but,” he settles his eyes directly on Tooru, unwavering, “yer the toughest Quinx I know.”

The other half-ghoul blinks, and blinks, then blinks again, and without another word lets go of Shirazu’s hand to scoot away in the bed and lift the covers up.

“C’mere.”

Shirazu tilts his head with a mumbled _buwuh?_ as Tooru continues.

“Lie down next to me.”

Snapping out of it, he waves his hand in front of his face in polite rejection (or as polite as it can be for Shirazu), trying to ignore the sudden heat crawling up his neck.

“No way…there’s uah, no room…”

Tooru raises an eyebrow, nodding his head about the large bed. “It’s queen-sized, I think there’s room.”

He tries to avoid his fate one more time.

“I dunno, I like to sprawl out, roll around…steal blankets…”

It doesn't work, as Tooru giggles for the umpteenth time, grabbing onto his wrist and gently tugging him towards them. “C’mon, c’mon, it’s getting cold.”

Shirazu nearly stumbles on top of them, awkwardly settling into a proper sleeping position because that’s all he’s going to do, just sleep on his side of the bed with the…oh, he has to share a pillow. That’s fine, totally fine, he just has to stay on the outside of it and let Tooru have the whole thing and…or not, as Tooru drops the covers on them both and clings to him without so much as a warning.

Shirazu thinks he might die from heart palpitations before he falls asleep.

“Uh…”

He opens his mouth to form the fluttering words in his mind, but it’s no use. How is anyone supposed to think clearly with such a warm, soft, _ugh_ adorable person like Tooru against their body, let alone he? He didn’t train for this! Sure he had him in his arms just a few minutes ago, but that was just squad duty, this is…what is this?

“Your heart’s beating really fast, Shirazu-kun.”

He swallows. “Haha…must be 'cause I'm real tired.”

Hands run themselves against his clothes, just enough to touch, but the heat between them grows as Tooru brings their bodies closer, humming against his chest.

“It’s just me.”

With a heavy exhale Shirazu gives in, wrapping shaky arms around that slender frame and burying his nose in soft, mint hair. If he’s going to die tonight, he might as well get everything out in the open.

“Yeah, and ‘just you’ is a whole lot.”

It’s barely a sentence, but he can already feel the heat at his neck spreading to his entire body, and he’s ready to add overheating to his cause of death. But he goes on.

“Yer not just tough, yer smart, kind…” he fidgets and rubs his head against them in attempts to cover up his embarrassment any further, “…cute. Real cute. Didja know that? I bet ya did. Ya always smile at me like that and make me turn to mush. Yer too powerful, Tooru.”

There’s an all-too-long silence before Tooru wriggles up to meet Shirazu eye-to-eye, or rather, to look at him while he constantly breaks eye contact out of shyness because, to him, he doesn’t deserve to gaze at those green orbs and that round brown face as much as he would like.

That doesn’t stop either of them from cupping each other’s faces and bridging the gap between them with their mouths.

Shirazu’s certain he passed death and is now receiving happiness in the afterlife.

Whatever satiating food he’s tasted doesn’t even begin to describe the filling sweetness of Tooru’s lips; whatever soft comfort he’s found in fabric doesn’t compare to the silkiness of his tongue; whatever shiver of delight he’s experienced from praise can’t even stand next to the sensations enveloping his entire being from his _everything_.

There’s a smile against his lips as they both break apart to breathe, and he figures that means he hasn’t really died yet, which he supposes is a good thing if he gets to do more of that.

He brings their foreheads together, subconsciously rubbing his foot against Tooru's and biting his lip. “So uh…does’at mean ya like me..?”

Tooru laughs the loudest he’s heard that night—in many nights—and pecks him on the nose. “Yes, yes it does.”

It’s his turn to giggle like a child, as he rubs noses with the other and subdues his racing heart with each stroke of the cheek, tucked back hair, calming hands at each other’s backs. He is so ready to fall asleep like this. Every night. Forever.

“There’s a whole lot to you too, you know,” Tooru hums into Shirazu’s neck, pulling him from his lulled thoughts, “but I’m not good with my words.”

He pets the back of his head with a chuckle. “Better than I am with mine.”

“Mmh…can I show you instead?”

“Wha—”

He’s cut off by an eager mouth, surprised when teeth graze his skin with enough intensity to shoot electricity up and down his spine. He can’t help letting a moan escape his throat as Tooru uses a knee between his legs to roll his body on top of his own, draping himself over him like dead weight, but the most alive, _enticing_ dead weight he can ever imagine. Except it’s real, it’s not a dream or fabrication, and it’s happening right now and he can’t keep up. This is a side of Tooru he’s never seen, never thought he’d ever see, and his immediate response is surprise—the most pleasant surprise he’s waited to enjoy.

But he also has his doubts.

“W-wait, what about yer injuries?”

At this point, he isn’t sure if he’s more concerned about Tooru’s body or his.

“I think you transferred some of your regenerative abilities with that kiss.”

All he can do is play it off with light laughter, nervous yet incredibly excited, just a little bit confused but he figures that’s part of the process of…whatever this goodness is.

“So, let me show you…”

Tooru presses against him, trapping heat between their mouths, and he knows there’s no turning back. He doesn’t want to. He’s captivated, swallowed whole by him and everything his motions express. With each passing gesture, caress, moan, exploration, he comes to understand exactly what Tooru meant, what he wanted to show him. Rhythms build with their lips, breaths, hands, hips...and soon enough, their whole bodies.

 

 

 

 

Shirazu doesn’t get much sleep that night after all.

But like this, all those next-day repercussions don’t sound so bad.


End file.
